Panaji: Former revenue minister and Taleigao MLA Jennifer Monserrate was consigned to flames on Monday at the St Inez crematorium, after a funeral Mass at the St Michael church in Taleigao.Chief minister Pramod Sawant, her husband revenue minister Atanasio Monserrate, and son, Panaji mayor Rohit Monserrate, were among those who carried Jennifer’s coffin from her residence to the church. Jennifer, whose mortal remains were draped by the tricolour, was given a guard of honour and gun salute. Atanasio and their two sons lit the pyre.In his eulogy, Atanasio said that Jennifer was much more than a wife. “She was much more than a wife, she was my greatest strength, my pillar, my constant companion and the foundation of our family,” he said, adding that she “stood by me through thick and thin through every joy and challenge in life”. “She is truly irreplaceable and no words can fill the void she leaves behind,” he said. “Jennifer did not enter public life for recognition or position, but out of a genuine desire to serve the people. As MLA of Taleigao, she worked tirelessly for the welfare and development of the constituency.” He also said she worked tirelessly to improve the lives of others.Goa governor Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Kerala governor Rajendra Arlekar, ministers, MLAs of all political parties and thousands of people from Taleigao, Panaji, and Santa Cruz visited the Monserrate residence to pay their last respects.“We lost another public representative. There is a problem. Any loss is a problem for anybody and everybody. We wish that soul gets eternal peace. Om Shanti,” said Raju.Arlekar said that she was a dedicated party worker. “When I was speaker, she was MLA and minister, and she performed for the people of the state. She has always worked for the people, and it will be remembered forever,” he said.Jennifer died on Sunday after a prolonged illness. She was 56. She and her husband Atanasio were the first couple to be elected to the Goa legislative assembly in 2012.Jennifer made her entry into politics by contesting the zilla panchayat elections. On winning, she was appointed head of the North Goa zilla panchayat. Some years later, she resigned from the post and contested the village panchayat elections, where she was elected unopposed as sarpanch of Taleigao.Jennifer won the first assembly election in 2012 from Taleigao constituency on a Congress ticket. In July 2019, she along with other Congress MLAs joined BJP, and she was made revenue minister in the govt headed by chief minister Pramod Sawant.Jennifer, who was raised in Mumbai, was admitted to a private hospital in Dona Paula on Thursday, where she breathed her last while undergoing treatment.
